Comments about ‘Utah Jazz: Sundiata Gaines enjoys career-high performance’

The Jazz are lucky Gaines panned out, considering they let go a good PG backup.

Maybe Jeffers can pan out, and if they decide to go after Mikki (or another big from somewhere), the Jazz could carry 14 without much cost.

With the injury bug hitting the team again, too many players isn't too many.

Nice game, Yada!

It's great that Gaines has panned out, yes, but I don't think it's just luck. The same guy who found D-will, Price, and Maynor found Gaines. O'Connor has his faults, but he knows what we need from point guards.
As to Jeffers, I don't see him staying with the team. I'd love to see Mikki come back though. He did very well in New Jersey. (I think it was Jersey, anyway.)

When Gaines is in the game he is more interested in shooting the ball instead of getting an assist. He goes for the basket...I guess that can acccount for his 15 points. I would rather see him pass the ball instead of trying to show off. His main job is to move the ball!

Gaines is a good hustle player. He will go after loose balls and will do many things that one would expect from a back-up point guard. He likes to drive, but I don't see him jacking up many bad shots. He and Ronnie Price play on the same level, normally.

When you haven't played in the NBA, or haven't played much,

HOW hard is it to have "career" game?

If you go to 82games and look at the net production stats (own production minus opponents production) and the simple rating you will see that Gaines is better than both Price and Maynor (at least when he was with the Jazz).

Gaines 2.5, 2.7
Price -7.1, -5.7
Maynor -0.8, -2.6

Price and CJ are the two worst players on the team in terms of playing efficiency and on balance both hurt the team badly over the course of the year. Both need to alter the way they play the game. Both have talent and both do things (take bad shots etc) that reduce their effectiveness. Both occasionally have great games.

KOC has done a great job of combing the D-league for undrafted for players. If only he (and the Jazz) were as good at draft picks. Maybe the Jazz should let KOC (only) pick the 1st rounders. The group approach has produced bad results.

Mathews, Gaines and Jeffers are not flukes. Years for bad first round picks are also not a flukes.

KOC is good at finding talent in the raw.

Gaines will improve and Sloan nailed it. He needs aggression/pace.